Team Draft Rankings by Total Points (2005-2009)

After taking a look at the work of MLHS member “xxxnew” on ‘point production by round’ in the draft, a few of you expressed an interest in seeing a chart on total points by drafted players for each team. FWIW, I put together the data in a couple of hours this afternoon.

Here’s how the teams stack up based on the five drafts between 2005-2009.

Recent Stanley Cup winners Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles are all right near the top. While Pittsburgh has a sizeable edge in points per pick (we all know why that is), Colorado leads the way in total points despite only three first round picks (Betwen Duchene, Statsny, Stewart, O’Rielly and Shattenkirk, drafting offence hasn’t been a problem).

A few quick caveats:

– This is obviously looking strictly at point production. A games played measure would yield some different results. If Detroit seems too low to you, for instance, consider that they drafted a goalie (McCollum) and two defencemen (Kindl, Smith) with their three first round picks and selected 19th, 29th and 30th in those three drafts.

– The asterisk next to the Habs’ top 5 pick is there because their fifth overall pick in 2005 was used on a goaltender, Carey Price.

The Leafs‘ draft team comes off looking decent here for a few reasons:

– Points per pick puts the Leafs in 9th.

– The 2006 entry draft was big for the Leafs as far as these rankings go. This was the first year Director of Amateur Scouting Dave Morrison took over his current role. Their 7 draftees have generated 405 cumulative points so far, which is third most for that year. The Leafs trail only Boston and Washington in this draft, who both had top 5 picks which were used to select Kessel and Backstrom respectively. All 7 Leaf picks except Tyler Ruegsegger have played NHL games (other picks were Tlusty, Kulemin, Stalberg, Holzer, Komarov). Oh, and let’s not forget the Leafs also got James Reimer out of this draft, a great pick that wouldn’t show in the points besides a few assists.

– The Leafs are one of only 6 teams over these 5 drafts to use a first round pick on a goaltender (Tuukka Rask), which wouldn’t play favourably into their points total but was a very good selection nonetheless (insert obligatory JFJ curse). The other 5 teams to draft goaltenders in the first round between 2005-2009 were Montreal (Carey Price), Calgary (Leland Irving), Detroit (Thomas McCollum), Los Angeles (Jonathan Bernier), and the Tampa Bay Lightning (Riku Helenius).

– Of the Leafs’ 4 first round picks, one was used on a goaltender and their fifth overall was used on defensive defenceman Luke Schenn, so their standing looks pretty good considering. Gotta love that Brian Burke managed to flip Schenn for van Riemsdyk.

– There was only 4 first round draft picks available to the Leafs’ draft team to begin with, which is bottom ten in the league. If you remove the goalies, only Detroit had fewer first round picks.

Alec Brownscombe is the founder of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, where he has written daily about the Leafs since September of 2008. He was also the editor of the 2009-12 Maple Leafs Annuals. You can contact him at brownscombealec@gmail.com.

Thanks for the work, Alec. I like pure stats like that. Interesting oddities,

DWCMLHS

What did Friedman say that had everyone all pissy in the previous thread?

Alec Brownscombe

Can’t seem to get the chart to play nice – points per pick puts the Leafs into the top 10.

Cloud09

DWCMLHS Hope_Smoke ‏@Hope_Smoke

4m Friedman “I wonder if Phaneuf was invited to the Team Canada camp because executives wanted to get to know him prior to him becoming a UFA”

mapleleafforever

lol @ Atlanta Jets. Good stuff. Leafs must’ve been productive in the later rounds relative to the rest of the league.

Alec Brownscombe

-Keon- Refresh, got er in there a few minutes ago.

DWCMLHS

Cloud09 DWCMLHS Wouldn’t have expected such nonsense from Friedman. He’s usually good.

Xxxxxnew

Never thought of that factor.

Dangle_My_Berries

BRING ON THE SEASON!

Xxxxxnew

Multiple top 5 picks helped the top teams, didn’t hurt the Caps but didn’t help Tampa.

Alec Brownscombe

Xxxxxnew I’d say Tampa’s problems were in lower picks considering Stamkos is one of those top 5s (386 points to date).

Jay_Berg

I find it sort of funny that every time somone is the MSM tweets or says something that people don’t like or agree with they immediately state that the person is an idiot or not credible, etc. I’m not sticking up for the MSM by any means. But just for example there are many people here who are still in denial about Phaneuf being shopped this summer. You can say a certain media member sucks or whatever but when virtually all of them are reporting the same thing then in all likelyhood where there’s smoke there’s fire. People said the me shit about when the leafs-Bernier rumours were out there. Freidman is one of the better media guys out there. He’s connected. It’s just funny that if he suggests something that’s not ideal for everyone here that he’s just automatically an idiot.

Tommy Cat

Jay_Berg And if someone (like Fenton) expresses an opinion that is not MLHS mainstream then he’s an idiot too. There’s different levels of mainstream for sure.

Xxxxxnew

For sure.

Tim Horton

Jay_Berg The Phaneuf rumours popped up when Nonis was specifically asked if he would consider trading Dion and he said no one is untouchable. The people who took that as Phaneuf is being shopped were and are idiots.

DWCMLHS

Jay_Berg No player would be invited to an Olympic camp for the reason Friedman suggested. Phaneuf is a great Dman, and has a lot of experience playing for his country. That’s why he was invited. It’s incredibly unlikely the Team Canada execs would risk their jobs by making decisions for their own personal NHL teams’ benefit, as opposed to the benefit of the Canadian team.

Jay_Berg

Bob Mac, Dreger, and many more reported he was being shopped.

Tommy Cat

-Keon- I don’t agree with some of his opinions (I am a huge Kessel fan even when he’s not scoring he’ll aways effective and getting chances, I see him going back to the bench blowing wind with his head down and I always think, there’s a guy who’s busting his ass) but the feeding frenzy on Fenton has to stop. The man is obsolutely a Leafs fan, he has his opinions and arguments, and I respect them.

Alec Brownscombe

-Keon- Cool, wonder how she got that job.

Dangle_My_Berries

Alec Brownscombe -Keon- surely through a thorough and comprehensive hiring process where her resume was evaluated in comparison to many other adequate to above adequate candidates……..

Tim Horton

litterally the only thing they had to say on Dion was this… Dregger- “There are some rumblings that Dion Phaneuf could be in play. GM Dave Nonis has said he’d trade just about anyone, but said that nobody has called about Phaneuf yet. : Adds that he is hearing the same.” Everyone after that just snowballed from this comment into their own delusions.

Knights2Leafs

Tommy Cat I generally respect everyone’s opinion. The problem is that his comments are non stop and can be summed up as follows: You can’t succeed without franchise players; Kessel and Phaneuf are not franchise players; Leafs management are morons unless they realize the first 2 points and should tank immediately and start “rebuilding”. He might even be right, but who cares…… the premise that at this point in time the Leafs should just blow it up and try to rebuild around a Crosby, Stamkos franchise type of player is just so silly it’s not even funny. The most idiotic part of his theory is that you can tank till the cows come home and it won’t guarantee you won’t get another Daigle type of player. Or a Sequins.

TuckerForPunishment

Feaster gets up to the podium at the draft and the eligible players put their heads between their knees.

Spayde_D

Jay_Berg I took small issue with the fact that Friedman undervalued Phaneuf’s invitation to orientation camp. I realize he was joking, but the MSM takes every opportunity to take a shot at the Leafs. Whether he’s shopped or not is irrelevant for me. Just a low blow and, like I said, not surprising.

LeafsForLife

Great job Alec! Enjoy reading these types of stats. This stuff just makes sense.

WendelGilmour

DWCMLHS Jay_Berg You mean like Kevin Lowe having RNH on the World Championship team a couple of years ago so he could have a good look at him before drafting him?

TuckerForPunishment

Go figure… 2 Canadian warships have collide in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Our Navy is either really unlucky or just plain incompetent.

Burtonboy

TuckerForPunishment Tendering operation ?

Burtonboy

Last day of August boys and girls . Only 11 days till camp opens

B_Leaf

Our drafting since 2006 when Morrison took over, has been well above league average. We had an incredible haul in 2006 which was a relatively weak draft. In 07 we fished out Frattin and Gunnar without a first or second round pick. In 08 we turned our first into JVR via Schenn and we still have an intriguing late bloomer on his way in MacWilliam. In 09 we snagged Kadri with the seventh pick, and then landed D’Amigo late, the jury is still out on Blacker. In 2010 we traded our first for Kessel but still have a couple of developing prospects who are promising in McKegg and certainly Granberg. In 2011 we have Leivo who looks really promising as a top six power type forward, and then Percy and Biggs who are still early in their development curve. The draft I really think could be strong for us is 2012. Rielly and Finn look like NHLers to me. The dark horse here who might surprise is Toninato. If you assign the value of Kessel to the three picks lost, and you assign the value of JVR to the Schenn pick, our drafting has to be top five. Any time you are consistently pulling two or three guys from each draft into meaningful top nine forwards, goaltenders, or top six D, you are doing well. Including Kessel and JVR is fair because they were trades that involved similar age straight forward deals. If you include them, between 2006 and 2012 we have drafted the following top six type forwards…Kessel, JVR, Kadri, Kulemin, Frattin, Leivo, Tlusty, Stalberg, McKegg, and Toninato. Add in Biggs, D’Amigo, Komarov, Hayes, Broll and some others to potential top nine types. On D we have a boat load of guys who could make it.

TuckerForPunishment

Burtonboy Kiddies go back to school on Tuesday. Gonna be nice and quiet. Yesterday was my last day driving courier. Two jobs was just plain retarded. I made an extra 15 grand for 9 weeks work but now I need some rest. I’m doing some custom performance upgrades to my 97 Astro van so the extra time will be great.

B_Leaf

Here are some interesting line combinations that i think we could see this year at one point or another… JVR Kadri Kessel Lupul Bolland Clarkson McClement Bozak Kulemin or JVR Bolland Kessel Lupul Kadri Kulemin McClement Bozak Clarkson I still think Bozak plays the most minutes at center but I think they will try him some in the third line type role. Bozak is a far better player than most people give him credit for. It would be scary if this team were going into the season without him.

B_Leaf

I’ve noticed a lot of odds makers have the Bruins and Redwings on top of the Atlantic with the Leafs, Ottawa, and Montreal slotted just after. I still need to see how the changes made affect the Leafs…I really am not sure, although I like the fact we have Ranger on board and especially a healthy Gardiner. The addition of Clarkson gives our forwards some top line grit which should help. But I also have to wonder if the Habs can repeat what they did last year…I think they have improved their team but they were terrible down the stretch and in the playoffs. That sends off warning bells about who they really are. I think Ottawa will be right at the top with the Leafs and Bruins. They are a good team trending up. The Redwings ranking surprises me. They are getting old in some spots. The Bruins should be fine but if Chara starts to decline they will feel it. In summary I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Leafs and Ottawa at the top. Just sayin…

MaxwellHowe

B_Leaf Senators may be formidable. And all with a self-imposed $55million cap. Many on this site underestimate that team. Spezza, Michaelak, Ryan, Karlsson, Phillips, Turris, Zibenijad, Anderson stay healthy, look the F out.

peterbleafs

TuckerForPunishment They let Peter McKay send out orders.

Dink

MaxwellHowe B_Leaf I think the coach’s magic will not work for Ottawa this year, I see them fading

well that’s an article i haven’t seen before. that draft stuff looks like a lot of work and is interesting…could probably be broken down even more, but my head’s not right at the moment for that, so i’ll resort to pock lineups and trades now…

VaiveOClockSomewhere

Burtonboy I can’t see Gardiner and Phaneuf as a pairing. They both need a steady stay at home type. Gunnar – Phaneuf Gards – Franson Rielly – Granberg Possible Ranger takes Gunnars place beside Phaneuf if he’s that good – and only wants to play in Toronto.

dlb eh

Burtonboy if Gardiner-Phanuef can work, we’re golden i’ll predict something more over the top instead, pairing players together who could bring out hte best in each other and who could slot into specific Carlyle rolls (as i see it) Rielly-Franson (1st PP) Gardiner-Percy (2nd PP, 2nd PK) Gunnarsson-Granberg (1st PK) Blacker (man of many talents slots in anywhere, as needed)

dlb eh

VaiveOClockSomewhere Burtonboy i think Gardiner is capable of playing fine defensively, he just needs to prove it now. Phaneuf is as good as any defensively, and will benefit having a partner who doesn’t feed him puck in his skates regularily.

Burtonboy

VaiveOClockSomewhere Burtonboy I actually think Phaneuf would be better off if he had a more creative partner beside him. IMO Phaneuf is not a PMD , much more of a 2 way defenseman and as he gets older expect him to become even more defensively conscious. Also someone as effective as Gardiner at moving the puck out of his own end will take the pressure off in his own end.

VaiveOClockSomewhere

dlb eh VaiveOClockSomewhere Burtonboy I agree Phaneuf is good on D. And Gards could be good on D with some seasoning. But they both like to skate the puck up the ice with frequency, and play their game better when they know their partner stays back – giving them more opportunity to wheel n’ deal

VaiveOClockSomewhere

Burtonboy VaiveOClockSomewhere Don’t tell Dion that.

dlb eh

B_Leaf who knows, let them underestimate us again. as much as i hate MTL, they have a goalie capable of being a lot better than he was last year, and if that happens we’ll hear that soccer anthem ad nauseam i think the Redwings and Bruins rankings come from all the veterans who have gotten it done there before, and the coach and system that is familiar and proven. seems new players assimulate fine in those two places. but really, so what!? the Maple Leafs have a solid team that no one will roll over. evey game is one we can win. we shall see.

VaiveOClockSomewhere

dlb eh Burtonboy So many potential D-lines going forward. There’s still 3-4 players none of us have mentioned who could also steal a spot in 2 years (Fraser,Finn, Holzer, macwilliam)

Burtonboy

-Keon- He has a NTC right now

Burtonboy

VaiveOClockSomewhere dlb eh Burtonboy Absolutely. I just threw that line up out there to try and get a convo going . One has to think there are going to be quite a few changes on that d in the next few yrs. Gunnar ,Franson ,Fraser and the like are going to have to play well to keep a place I think